Canada possesses a unique desert ecosystem in the South Okanagan-Similkameen Valley commonly called the Pocket Desert. The land was home to many First Nations, but was transformed by settlers over the last hundred years into a largely agricultural landscape. The remaining natural heritage is described in this excerpt through the emergence of spring.

Every outlaw needs an enemy, and for a young girl growing up on a ranch in the
last corner of the Canadian wild west, the rattlesnake takes centre stage as
the perfect demon for her childhood imagination. In the dry interior of
British Columbia, the south Okanagan and Similkameen valleys form the scenic
bio-region known as Canada's 'pocket desert'. As settlers' dreams of creating
an agricultural Eden erase fragile desert lands that support a breathtaking
array of wild species, the narrator and her snake-hunting neighbours are
forced to examine their environmental attitudes. Superb wildlife
cinematography and rare archival film clips combine with dramatic personal
stories in this compelling documentary.

Manitoba has eleven endangered species, including the piping plover whose nests are extremely vulnerable to predation and human disturbance. A census in 2006 showed the number of birds in Manitoba continued to decrease since 1991 when an international survey was started.